Sheru Gharti Magar is from Rukum, a remote district in western Nepal. People in this area live a very hard life, often able to meet only the most basic human needs.
In Rukum, it’s cold, and the land isn’t fertile. The people do well to grow one crop in a year. Men from this area often travel to the city or even other countries for work so they can send money back home for the women, children and elderly people.
Sheru was born and brought up in a Hindu family. His parents were illiterate and poor. They couldn’t afford to send him to school.
Sheru’s mother was a witch. She talked to unseen spirits and worked magic. His father moved away and married another woman. That left Sheru’s mother responsible for taking care of three children. As a result of the stress and hardship, she became depressed and died two years later.
As Sheru took over the role of looking after his brother and sister, he met a young Christian woman and decided he wanted to marry her. She agreed to marry him if he would accept Christianity. Sheru wasn’t sure what to do.
Discovering Jesus
Sheru knew Buda Singerman, a Seventh-day Adventist Bible worker in the village, so he asked Singerman to tell him all about Christianity. Singerman answered all the questions Sheru asked, showing him truths from the Bible. As time passed, Sheru found a love for Jesus growing in his heart.
After Sheru became a Christian and married the young woman, his relatives and neighbors would have nothing to do with him. He was an outcast in the village. The fierce opposition made it even more difficult to survive in Rukum.
Sheru’s health deteriorated, and people in the village said it was because he’d left the religion of his ancestors. They predicted he’d soon die.
Prayer and kindness
Sheru’s wife called Singerman, who prayed for Sheru and took him to a faraway doctor for medicine. After a few days, Sheru’s health began to improve. The relatives and neighbors who thought Sheru would most certainly die now wondered how he’d survived. Still, they continued to curse him and treat him unkindly whenever they saw him.
Despite this, Sheru remained polite and looked for ways to assist anyone who needed help. Sheru’s unwavering witness slowly changed people’s perceptions about him and about Christianity.
Please keep Sheru, his family, Singerman and the Rukum area in your prayers as God’s Spirit continues to soften hearts and open minds.